Right now you are probably hearing a lot of stories about play-and-earn games being played by people in countries like the Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil, and India who are earning a living from it. Having taken a look at some of the current generation of early and simple play-to-earn games, the thought goes through your mind “why would anyone want to play something like this except to make money,” and “this has no connection or relevance to ‘real games.’”  Except, in reality, play-and-earn has already existed for decades — in the form of gold farming and skins trading.

One key difference between a typical database and a blockchain is the way the data is structured. A blockchain collects information together in groups, known as “blocks” that hold sets of information. Blocks have certain storage capacities and, when filled, are closed and linked to the previously filled block, forming a chain of data known as the “blockchain.” All new information that follows that freshly added block is compiled into a newly formed block that will then also be added to the chain once filled.

A database usually structures its data into tables whereas a blockchain, like its name implies, structures its data into chunks (blocks) that are strung together. This data structure inherently makes an irreversible timeline of data when implemented in a decentralized nature. When a block is filled it is set in stone and becomes a part of this timeline. Each block in the chain is given an exact timestamp when it is added to the chain.

These activities haven’t persisted in games for decades (even finding root in games which prohibit trading of in-game items) just because of players primarily looking to earn money.   A play-and-earn economy, like any economy, is dependent on there being an equilibrium between sellers and buyers. Gold or skins “farmers” are the sellers, but they aren’t selling to other farmers, they are selling to real players from whom there is enough demand to support viable and even thriving grey markets long-term despite the risks of getting ripped off or banned from a game.

Play-and-earn brings this market into the light, giving game developers more visibility into previously opaque areas of their economies so they can better maintain balance while also allowing them to earn additional revenue from that activity, as well as providing players with a more secure, above-board process for making these transactions.

Here comes the importance of True Money Games as our games convert the in-game assets to NFTs, allowing the players to buy, trade, and sell items, heroes, weapons, skins, and more for true money. Users are free to trade Game items through both the in-game marketplace and other NFT marketplaces on other blockchains. This contributes to creating liquidity for the items owned in the game, helping the loyal users to gain much more money, and encouraging more players to participate in our games’ universe.